A Bad Guy with a Knife

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There's no statewide blade length limit. Local cities and towns have their own laws, Boston and Worcester have 2.5 inch blade length limits for locking knives. Other localities have their own laws, those are just the two I'm most familiar with.

 

Pennsylvania in general(excluding Philly) has pretty lax knife laws, but they are a bit archaic. No autos, no daggers, most of you know the usual exceptions. I don’t usually walk around with a 14” blade on my belt, but I don’t limit what manual folders I carry at all. If I’m traveling, I try to carry something a bit inconspicuous like a slipjoint or small folder, though that’s not always the case.

I also live in a rural area so it’s not uncommon to see someone carrying a 119 or even a 1911 on their belt. No one seems to care about my 3.5” folder, cops included.

 

Thanks to @Critter and Kniferights they don't affect my decisions at all. Until 2013(?) Texas had some silly knife laws, though still not as restrictive as some. Since then almost all laws regarding knives and their carry have been repealed thanks to Kniferights's efforts.

The only remaining restriction prohibits the carry of blades 5.5" or longer at schools, govt buildings, etc. Hardly an issue for the sane.

 

This is my thinking regarding carrying a gun, which I am legally entitled to do in all 50 states but that seldom carry because of the hassle and greater liabilities (both criminal/civil) associated w/carrying a gun.

Not very much. I generally do not carry any of my autos or balis, which are legal to own but illegal to carry in my state, but not because I'm afraid of arrest and/or confiscation of the knife. One of the privileges of being a retired LEO is "usually" being given a pass for minor infractions, like speeding and carrying an unauthorized weapon, like a knife or baton, AS LONG AS you're not doing something really stupid w/or while carrying them.

So, the law against carrying autos and balis does not prevent me from carrying them.

Mainly, common sense does. I've got many folders that are much larger than any of my autos and balis that I can open as fast or faster than any of my autos and balis, so why bother carrying any of them?

No reason really unless I just "feel" like carrying one of them on a particular day which I have done w/o any problem because a "problem" will only occur if I am subject to an LEO contact that would involve a search for weapons and I've NEVER been subject to such a contact or search in the 12 years since my retirement. However, there's no sense going "looking" for trouble or giving an uncooperative LEO a reason to f*ck w/me.

So, I generally choose to carry only folders, none of which violate any state laws (local ordinances are another matter).

 

With the major difference being one is obviously illegal and dangerous but the other can be neither.

I'll echo what was said above about PA, we have generally very good knife laws, gun laws as well. The exception is philly. I can carry my pistol concealed (ccw) but ironically can't carry a vic classic philly. It's a never enforced crime unless you're doing something else illegal. On the rare instances I travel to philly I completely ignore the knife laws, as for me, a law abiding citizen, they would not be enforced. Luckily I rarely got to philly. I dislike the place very much.

In general, I advise people to follow their local knife laws. In the least, get to know the local temperature if you choose to violate the norms or laws of where you are. At the bare minimum know the laws or rules of the places you go.

Number one though, don't support places with crap laws by living there. If the issue is important enough, you can move to a better place in this great country.

 

Down here in Louisiana, it's not an issue.

 

I know that the City of Los Angeles has a 3" blade limit, IIRC if the clip is showing. San Diego's knife laws are much more relaxed and reasonable. When I travel to places like L.A. and San Francisco, I normally carry 3" or slightly under. However, in past years when I wasn't aware of the laws, I carried my Benchmade AFCK (just under 4") in both of those jurisdictions and never had any problems at all.

In general, CA's knife laws are not as bad as many people in other states make them out to be.

Jim

 

Seattle has a 3.5” length limit, but all (most) my knives are 3.5”, so it doesn’t matter. When I’m at home or in the woods I can carry whatever I want.

 

Yes. It’s lunacy that while in the same state, crossing a city line changes one’s legality when carrying a pocket knife.

 

Being Canadian I only wear my fix blades when I'm out camping. Here you need to be able to explain why you have it, and I imagine it would be tough to explain a bowie or other large knifes.

When I was a teenager the laws used to be different and the cops were allowed to "fish" which means to stop and search you. I would get stopped every now and then and either the cop wouldn't care about my SAK. Or they would get pretty upset and make me explain myself. Lucky they never confiscated it though.

 

I live in RI and work in Mass and RI with local pd most days and I have never encountered an issue with the size of blade I carry and or use, nor have they said anything about autos. One officer did make jokes about arresting me on felonies over an ultratech I was showing a coworker. I’m going to directly ask the Lt in the morning about the knife laws for Mass and get back to y’all.

 

Not much of an issue here in South Alabama either, but I rarely carry anything bigger than a PM2

 

Good or bad; I"m just a guy with a knife.

 

That's not a knoife...



Now THAT'S a knoife!!!

 

You American have the world best criminal justice system, but your knife laws are ridiculous. Here in Finland we can use knives freely, if we have a good reason to use knives and our knives do not disturb another people. But if you are looking for trouble and have a knife, hammer, baton, or another dangerous tool with you, police will arrest you.

 

In every place besides Philadelphia I've been to in America, I didn't need a good reason to use/carry a knife. I'm in Oregon now, and enjoy the relaxed knife laws.

I was just in the redwoods of California last week, and before I went I checked on the knife laws. Like has been said, California has surprisingly relaxed knife laws as well.

I tend to check out the knife laws before traveling, but not always. I've had two instances where cops wanted to see my knives and they happened to be over the legal length. Once was a PM2, the other was a cold steel broken skull. Both times, the cops just said "nice knife".

 

Exactly, cops base a lot on demeanor and suspicion. I used to work a graveyard security shift sitting outside a Goodwill to stop jerks from dropping junk at the dropoff spot and my car had a dead battery one night at going home time. This was pre-cell phone days so I took a stroll down the street to where I knew there was a pay phone. Stopped by the cops wanting to know what I was up to a 4:45 a.m., the usual,ask me if I have a weapon to which i say yes, tell him where it is, he pats me down and find my old Pacific Cutlery Balisong. I was honest and told them i usually kept it in the car (which was also where I spent the vast majority of this security job) but didn't much find the idea of strolling about unarmed before dawn appealing. Told them where I worked, etc. No problem, he gave the knife back after a couple little opens and closes he executed like he knew what he was doing and I went to make my call.

 

Being as the city of Boston doesn't recognize federal immigration law , why should someone choose to honor their petty local knife laws ?

 

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We do have a Political Arena if one wants to discuss Boston's immigration policy.

I guess, come to think of it, we have a Knife Laws subforum too.